Between Our Ancestors and Us at Zayed International Airport is made up of six sculptural forms. Mohamed Ali Harisi / The National
Between Our Ancestors and Us at Zayed International Airport is made up of six sculptural forms. Mohamed Ali Harisi / The National
Between Our Ancestors and Us at Zayed International Airport is made up of six sculptural forms. Mohamed Ali Harisi / The National
Between Our Ancestors and Us at Zayed International Airport is made up of six sculptural forms. Mohamed Ali Harisi / The National

What is the sculpture seen at Zayed International Airport during Donald Trump's arrival ceremony?


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

Amid the pomp and protocol of US President Donald Trump’s arrival at Zayed International Airport, an artwork spotted at the presidential terminal sparked curiosity.

The work, by Emirati artist Zeinab Alhashemi, comprises six sculptural forms made of steel, acrylic, stone and, the artist's signature material, camel hide. The work is titled Between Our Ancestors and Us.

The installation served as the backdrop to president Trump’s airport arrival. Media were positioned in between its towering forms, overlooking the area where Trump sat with President Sheikh Mohamed.

Alhashemi’s installation at Zayed International Airport has not been publicly revealed before, and it is believed to have been developed specifically for the presidential terminal.

US President Donald Trump being welcomed to the UAE by President Sheikh Mohamed. Chris Whiteoak / The National
US President Donald Trump being welcomed to the UAE by President Sheikh Mohamed. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Between Our Ancestors and Us pays tribute to the dromedary camel and its significance in the history and culture of the UAE. Traditionally, known as ships of the desert, camels were a vital means of survival, used in transportation and trade, and as source of sustenance thanks to their meat and milk. The animal remains culturally important today, and is regarded as a symbol of resilience and Bedouin heritage.

Alhashemi is known for the use of camel hide in her work, particularly with Camoulflage, a series she began in 2015. The first work in the series, which featured an abstract rendition of a desert in camel hide, was presented in the exhibition Emirati Expressions during Abu Dhabi Art.

“It brought a lot of interest and attention,” the artist told The National in 2022. “The public wanted to get closer to the work, not knowing exactly what material it was made with. The minute they realised it was camel skin, they started asking so many different questions.”

Emirati artist Zeinab Alhashemi often incorporates camel hide into her work. Mohamed Ali Harisi / The National
Emirati artist Zeinab Alhashemi often incorporates camel hide into her work. Mohamed Ali Harisi / The National

Another famous example from the series is Camoulflage: The Fourth Pillar, which was shortlisted for the 2022 Richard Mille Art Prize and exhibited at Louvre Abu Dhabi’s annual Art Here. That same year Alhashemi presented Camoulflage 1.618: The Unfinished Obelisk in the desert beside the Pyramids of Giza as part of Forever is Now 2, an exhibition organised by Art d’Egypte. She also created boulder-like sculptures faceted with camel hide for Desert x AlUla 2022.

Elaborating on her fascination with the material, Alhashemi said there was a similarity between camel hide and the shades of desert sand.

“If you zoom into the leather itself, you’ll find it’s almost like a sand dune, in terms of its curves and shades,” she said. “My interest in nature is always bringing in its geometry from a micro level and a macro level.”

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

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Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

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Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry

4/5

The specs

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Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. 

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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Army of the Dead

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera

Three stars

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY

Centre Court

Starting at 10am:

Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)

Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog

Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan

Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)

Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)

Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)

Court 1

Starting at 10am:

Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska

Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh

Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet

Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)

Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage

Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse

Court 2

Starting at 10am:

Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang

Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka

Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic

Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri

Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova

Court 3

Starting at 10am:

Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang

Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar

Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova

ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19

July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan

Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US

Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK

Profile of Foodics

Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani

Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

Employees: 150

Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

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Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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England

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus

Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid

Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

What is a Ponzi scheme?

A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.

'Lost in Space'

Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen

Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 575bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh554,000

On sale: now

Have you been targeted?

Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:

1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.

2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.

3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.

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5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.

World record transfers

1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Updated: May 15, 2025, 3:59 PM